County duo Orr, Penchard stuck on sidelines

Timmy Orr and Clay Penchard both rehabbing knee injuries — again

Lebanon Catholic grad Timmy Orr, left, and Cedar Crest alum Clay Penchard are both dealing with serious knee injuries that will cost them their first two years of once-promising college basketball careers. (Earl BrightBILL — Lebanon Daily News)

In times of trial, it's helpful to have the support of a friend who knows exactly what you're going through, who can relate to your problems in a way that no one else can.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, Timmy Orr and Clay Penchard are exactly the type of friend each other needs right now.

Former Lebanon County high school basketball standouts, Orr (Lebanon Catholic) and Penchard (Cedar Crest) are both dealing with the prospect of a second major knee surgery in the span of a year, the result of repeat injuries that have derailed — for now, at least — promising collegiate hoops careers.

Both 2013 graduates, Orr embarked on a collegiate future at Division II Holy Family University after leading Catholic to a District Three Class A title his senior year, and Penchard did the same at Penn State Harrisburg after helping the Falcons to a surprise trip to the Lancaster-Lebanon League finals in his senior year.

But before they even got started, Orr and Penchard's hoops dreams were nearly crushed.

Penchard tore the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee on April 12, 2013 during the Pennsylvania-Maryland all-star game. Despite surgery to repair it, the injury never fully healed, resulting in an upcoming reconstructive procedure that will cost him a second season of a college career that has yet to fully begin.

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For Orr, the story is much the same. He tore his left ACL for the first time in a rec league game in Lititz late last July, only to suffer the same injury on the same court almost a year later. He, too, will be on the sidelines for a second straight season after surgery later this summer.

If it wasn't for bad luck...

"It's just frustrating, that's probably the biggest thing," Orr said, describing the emotions he's dealt with since initially suffering the injury. "It's very frustrating to do 8 months of rehab, be getting back to how I used to be, and then injure it again. That's the only thing I can say, it's just frustrating. Unfortunate, I guess. Unlucky."

"It's tough," Penchard said, echoing his friend's thoughts. "You're so used to playing basketball and living your life a certain way, going to the park, working out. Then you can't do any of that for months. And even when your knee feels good then, you still can't play. All you want to do is get back on the court."

Certainly, Orr and Penchard are not the first athletes from the area to endure major knee injuries. But the only people they know of who've experienced those injuries in this way are each other. They'd rather not be able to relate to what the other is going through, but it's an invaluable resource for them that they can.

"Really, the only one I talk to (about it) is Clay," Orr said. "When I found out I did it, the first person I texted was Clay because he did it before me. I wanted to know how it went for him. At least in the beginning, when you're stuck at home, you feel like you don't have friends. The biggest thing is the mental aspect. It's tough to get it through your mind and get over it."

"It's amazing how much it does affect you. I'd go to South Hills last summer and just bring a beach chair and sit there and watch everyone play. I would just go there and sit and watch because I needed to get out of the house. It was really rough."

Penchard and Orr have something else in common when it comes to their injuries — a burning desire to not be defeated by them.

Though disheartened by the thought of another surgery and lengthy rehab, both remain steadfast in their desire to play again at a high level.

Not for glory necessarily, but to again enjoy the camaraderie that goes with playing a team sport. Believe it or not, it is practices that they miss most of all.

"I tried to picture how it would be if I didn't play ball," Orr said. "I didn't like that picture. I still want to be on a team. I could play in the park or whatever, but it's totally different when you're on a team. When you're on a team, you have the brotherhood of the team, the bond. I just decided I'm not ready to give up yet. I'm too young."

"I do miss it a lot," said Penchard, who, like Orr, was essentially a team manager this past season. "The feeling of being a manager and not being on the court, practicing, it's the worst feeling in the world. It's indescribable. I hate it. You're still a part of the team...

"But you're not truly a part of the team," said Orr, finishing the sentence. "You don't do the workouts they do, you're not sweating like they do."

There's no guarantee either Orr or Penchard will ever get back to that place they long to be: In the thick of the fight with their teammates again and 100 percent sound physically.

The only certainty is they'll work like crazy to get there.

They'll be doing that, while, as Orr so eloquently stated, "Praying for the best, preparing for the worst."